The Revelation
by Corporal Spivilles
Summary: It's been 25 years since Harry Potter roamed the Hogwarts halls. Old grudges still rule the Weasleys and the Malfoys but when a desperate academic situation requires immediate attention, will the compromising arrangement that follows change the rules?
1. Chapter 1

Lucinda Weasley sat in the abandoned Dungeon Five, doing what she always did, studying. Why did she study so much? Her cousin Kayla had asked her that once, and she'd replied that it was a security thing. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. She just did it, that was all, because she wasn't good at anything else. She couldn't draw, couldn't sing, all she could do was get good grades. That might help her in the real world, but in Hogwarts, it just prevented her from having friends. It had never really bothered her in early years, but this was her seventh year at Hogwarts and the idea that she would be leaving without any sort of legacy behind her was very depressing, even for a practical girl like Lucinda. She was already angry enough for allowing herself to become like this.

She had a ton of relatives, being a member of the Weasley clan, but most of them were younger than her or in different Houses. Her own brother was in Slytherin, for Christ's sake. She'd been at Hogwarts for seven years, seven, and she still didn't really have anyone to talk to or hang out with. It wasn't her fault she was a loner. She sighed...it was, though, and she couldn't deny that. She had never made an effort to get out there and make some friends. She was as introverted as they came. If she hadn't been so afraid of being completely rejected by the student body of Hogwarts, she could have found someone to share her life with.

_This is probably how Mum would have ended up if she hadn't become friends with Dad and Uncle Harry,_ Lucinda thought bitterly. Not only was she leaving Hogwarts, but she had no friends! Though, that wasn't entirely true. She did have Jane. Jane Tessyir was a girl in her class and the one person who had come up to Lucinda with something other than an insult on her lips. She was very grateful to have Jane...but somehow it wasn't enough, and Lucinda felt incredibly greedy and selfish for that.

That was something else...Lucinda didn't have anyone to love. All her life she'd been a single little bookworm that no guys took notice of, unless they were Slytherins and were tormenting her, usually with her brother at the head of the game. If she bothered to look in a mirror, she might have noticed that she really wasn't bad-looking at all, with soft white-blonde curls, big blue eyes and a complexion to die for, but in her mind it was too late anyway. Even if a guy should begin to express interest in her, she wouldn't know what the hell to do. She was just too inexperienced when it came to the "social scene."

She sighed and pointed her wand angrily at a moldy shelf on the wall, causing it to fall and splinter. Lucinda flinched and looked around, though she knew she was alone. After a brief moment, that knowledge began to sink in, and she sighed again, slowly and mournfully buryingher head in her hands.

_Alone..._

* * *

Heavy footsteps echoed through the damp, cool air of the dungeons. They reverberated from the thick walls of roughly-hewn stone, from the uneven dark flagstones of the floor and the low celing above. The sound carried for a long distance, the labrinth of tunnels and catacombs catching it, amplifying it and twisting it in their own different ways. Down here in the dank, ancient depths of Hogwarts, any sound could become a cacaphony, any footstep symphony of pure noise. It gave the place an unsettling edge the feeling that you were never quite alone, despite the fact that this was the most isolated place in the castle. Depending on your frame of mind the sensation could be reassuring and comforting... or it could be simply terrifying. It was heightened even further if you happened to know a little bit about these dungeons. Most students who ventured into them stuck to the well known and often trodden passages and rooms. Very few knew how to find the _other_ corridors, masked from from plain sight, subtly disguised, or simply hidden away entirely.

Damien was one of the few who did, but only because of his own explorations and wanderings duiring his earlier years at school. By now they were like old friends, the dark, unlit corridors; the rooms no-one had touched or used in hundreds of years.. and yet there were some areas even he avoided. The passages and tunnels that led down further still. The ones with warnings marked out on the stones, or the ones hewn roughly out of the very bedrock itself. Likely no-one knew where they led any more, and the Slytherin wasn't overly keen on finding out. He was no coward, but at the same time there was no sense in unnecessary risk. These days however, the boy rarely visited the vast forgotten depths of the dungeons. But at times like this, when thought was needed, there was no better place. Many assumed that because he surrounded himself with friends, with cronies and lackeys, that it somehow meant he was incapable of living without being the centre of attention. _Far from it._ While Malfoys always led from the front, Damien was perfectly at home with solitude, indeed he required it now and then.

However, its was solitude of a sort that formed one of several problems that were currently the main focus of his attention. More precisely, romantic solitude. 'Romantic' being in inverted commas of course, there was hardly a great deal of traditional romance in the Slytherin's relationships. He posessed the ideal combination of looks and charm - or apparent charm. Simply, he could get almost any girl he set his mind to. It may take a while for some, but in the end he would charm and manipulate them to his own ends, before discarding them once he'd had his fun. Oh he'd tried to hang onto one or two for longer, form some sort of real bond, but he frankly got bored too quickly. No, to Damien girls were there to be used. Unfortunately that habit also got a bit addictive, and after an unsuccessful summer the first thing on Malfoy's agenda was finding a suitable female. Or just a female in general to be honest.

The other major problem would be considered an odd one by most people, at least if attributed to someone like himself. Grades. His grades in Transfiguration were slipping, and he was sure that old hag McGonagall took some kind of vindictive pleasure in seeing Lucius Malfoy's grandson fail. Now the majority of people simply wouldn't have thought that someone in Damien's position would even care about grades. He was never going to need a job after all, the family had enough money to see him through the rest of his life comfortably. All he would be required to do was to learn the family trade - pulling strings and influencing those in high places. Essentially the boy's life after Hogwarts was going to be training for the day he became head of the Malfoy family. But his grades were a matter of _pride._ A Malfoy should always be the best. And Damien took pride in his intelligence, he wanted to excell because he simply knew he could. But when it came to Transfiguration.. well he needed help. And it _pained_ him to admit it.

The Slytherin was making his way through the more public areas of the dungeons when a loud clatter and crash reached his ears, the sound having carried down the empty stretch of corridor. Quickening his pace a little, Damien found the dying echoes of the sound eminating from one of the unused rooms not too far from the Slytherin common room. And sitting there in plain view, head in her hands, was the unmistakable form of another seventh year - Lucinda Weasley. Malfoy found it hard to keep up with the entire Weasley clan - they bred like rabbits it seemed, there were Weasleys crawling all over the place - but he knew a little more about this one in particular. Daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, the two former schoolmates of his father he had heard so many venomous comments about. She appeared to have been studying, though that was hardly unusual, the girl was a reclusive bookworm if memory served... And there, in his mind, the basic tenets of an idea began to form. If Damien played this _just_ right, he might be able to solve both problems in one go. It would be tricky of course... but oh _so_ worth it if it worked.

"Weasley?" he asked neutrally, stepping into the room to stand a little way behind her before turning his attention briefly to the collapsed, splintered shelf and arching an eyebrow. 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey, thanks to reviewers of the first chapter! Now for a little background on the story. It's set up the way it is because it is actually an RP plot that me and my co-author Andrew have been engaged in for over a year. Andrew writes for Damien and I write for Lucinda. There's quite a bit to post until we reach the point where we're still writing, so the faster I get even one review on each chapter, the faster the next will be up! Hooray! So review, review, review!

Spiv

* * *

"One of many," Lucinda said, glancing quickly behind her and seeing Damien Malfoy. She'd had classes with him and was surprised to see him without the usual flock surrounding him. However, instead of speaking right away, she continued to face the wall. She didn't want to face him. She tended to be one of the Malfoy family's favorite targets, when they noticed her, because of her younger brother being in Slytherin. She hated it. Sometimes, she even hated being a Weasley because of the reputation her family had in the school. Sometimes, she felt like she'd do anything for a moment's peace. 

She'd had a moment of it, but only a moment. That's what she'd come to the dungeons for. Stupid move, really. Going to the dungeons was almost a sure way to get yourself into an encounter with a Malfoy, or a Slytherin in general. She'd known that, but she'd come anyway. Part of her separation training, she supposed. Go to places she didn't know, be around people she didn't like.

Maybe it was wrong to say she didn't like them, even though she didn't. She didn't really know any of them. For all she knew, they all could have been really nice people underneath all the rude remarks. Not that it mattered, she was sure they were rotten through and through, but Lucinda liked it when she knew people. Mostly it came from the realization that she knew very few people outside her family- it was what she got for being such a recluse.

Then again, that was also her problem with the Slytherins. She was confident in the idea that they barely knew the people they picked on, yet they badgered them to no end.

Angered by that thought, Lucinda stood and finally turned around to meet Damien's gaze.

"Good day, Malfoy," she said curtly. "Having an evening lurk about the dungeons? And all by yourself too- where are your loyal followers?"

Her hand, still clutching her wand, slid into her cloak pocket and she tightened her grip. She knew it wouldn't be beneath a Malfoy to attack a Weasley, so she was on her guard. He probably knew and was better at more curses than she, but all those years of studying spellbooks had given her a decently thorough knowledge of them as well. She only hoped she'd be quick enough...she didn't have much experience in dueling.

* * *

**_"One of many"_**

She had, rather scarily, just echoed his exact thoughts. There were Weasleys upon Weasleys upon Weasleys crawling all over this bloody castle, a growing infestation of blood traitors that someone was going to have to put a stop to one of these days. Fortunately Damien only knew a few of them in any detail, so he was spared their unwelcome prescence on a daily basis. Perhaps the Weasley he knew best was the one he'd actually met. Rather strangely a Slytherin, and a good friend of his sister, along with that Mae girl... Now _there_ was a welcome thought. If not for his sister getting in the way, he would likely have tried his luck with Sabbath Mae years ago, she was more than attractive enough to meet his standards. Far more. Unfortunately Demi knew his reputation, and generally made sure that he kept a firm distance from Sabbath, 'for her own protection'. Still, it might be worth a try one of these days, for a girl like her it might even be worth risking Demitria's wrath...

But anyway, his thoughts were straying from the point somewhat, that being that the _other_ Weasley he knew more about than simply their name or face was the girl sitting before him right now - Lucinda. Fortunately she shared none of the typical Weasley looks, no freckles and mercifully - no flaming red hair. She had equally been spared the cruelty of looking like her mother. Instead, Lucinda posessed a slim, light build; smooth pale skin and flowing blonde hair. Added to her height and natural looks, and she was actually a pretty attractive girl. Of course no-one ever saw this because of the one other thing Damien happened to know about her. She was insular and reclusive to a fault. He had never seen her interact socially with anyone (other than another of the never-ending Weasleys of course.) If the girl was seen in public then she was usually studying, accompanied by a stack of books and notes. Oh it showed, he couldn't think of anyone who was able to match her on an academic level. It just meant, rather sadly, that she lacked much of a social life, or so it seemed.

And these two features were exactly what Damien intended to play on. Careful and skilled work was needed here, after seven years of being in his classes it would be hard to get Lucinda to place any sort of trust in him at first. But if he was careful enough... well then he could get both of the things he needed in one go. In fact Malfoy was just opening his mouth to speak again when Weasley moved, getting to her feet and turning to face him.

**_"Good day, Malfoy," she said curtly. "Having an evening lurk about the dungeons? And all by yourself too- where are your loyal followers?"_**

Dark blue eyes flickered from her face momentarily to her hand, pushed deep into a pocket on the girl's cloak. _Clever girl._ Resisitng the instinct to reach for his own wand, Damien instead kept his hands neutrally at his sides, making sure she could see both of them clearly. Then the Slytherin allowed his gaze to meet Lucinda's again. "Amusing. We all need a little time to ourselves though, and as you said I'm taking a stroll through the dungeons." He carefully modulated his tone, not too friendly but then again not too harsh - nicely neutral. "Or rather I was a short while ago." The faintest glimmer of a smile tugged at the boy's lips. "Its ironic that I should come across you here, because I'd just decided to go looking for you." A lie, and the first of may yet to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**"Its ironic that I should come across you here, because I'd just decided to go looking for you."**

Lucinda raised an eyebrow. _Looking for me, was he? Well if that isn't the worst lie I've heard in a long time._ It was highly obvious that he hadn't been, otherwise he wouldn't have been in the dungeons. Her natural instinct wanted her to run, because she knew Damien was dangerous, in more ways than one. Her Weasley instinct wanted her to curse the hell out of him. Her mind told her to stand her ground for a bit, and show him that she was not to be bothered by his mind games.

The thing that confused Lucinda the most was this little feeling, almost at the back of her mind. It wanted her to stay with such a powerful ferocity that, if she were a bit more eccentric, she would have been convinced it wasn't really her. Of course, this was the most conversation she'd had with someone outside her family, and his voice wasn't in any way harsh or unkind. And...he was handsome. So handsome, in fact, that despite her clever efforts she found it very hard not to stare at him.

_Stupid Malfoy,_ she thought angrily. _How dare he come in here and think he can play his little mind games with me! I am not some swooning little first year who doesn't know the first thing about...about anything! He knows that too._

"Looking for me?" she repeated his last words as confirmation. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, I'm flattered. Please, do tell me why. Are you going to bully me into doing your schoolwork? Or are you going to try and weasel blackmail material on my relatives out of me? Or, is it some other dark purpose that I couldn't even begin to comprehend?"

* * *

Thus far, Damien was impressed. Despite a little reassuring grip on her wand, Lucinda had maintained a near-perfect degree of composure. A few curt remarks, a quizzically arched eyebrow... she was standing her ground firmly, solidly, refusing to be cowed beneath the layer of apprehension that must surely be there. _Very impressive little Weasley._ For someone of her family, and one who wasn't really at home among other people, it was worthy of note - she wouldn't be as easy to crack as he thought. Certainly not one of the nervous, dumbstruck, insecure girls he usually targeted, but that would make the prize so much sweeter in the end. Everyone had a weak spot, everyone had an angle. You just needed to find it, work out how to attack it and then apply the right pressure. Given enough time and information, anyone could crack like an egg. When it came to Lucinda for example, the weaknesses initially looked simple. She was a loner, so there might well be a yearning for company there. If not, well he could force past it in the end. She was an academic type as well, so there was the strong chance he could break down a few barriers if he approached her that way. Not to mention that idea was perfect for the second half of his plan. It was all just about weaknesses and pressure, the same as any act of physics. Find the weakness, apply the appropriate pressure... and result.

Of course people weren't quite as simple as lever systems. There were always a hundred thousand complications, from the blatantly obvious right down to the detailled and intricate. He could see several glaring obstacles in the plan already, not making it impossible... just much more of a challenge. For one, he was a Malfoy and she was a Weasley. There were generations of bad blood between the two families and no reason at all for even the slightest grain of trust. It was going to be hard winning her over, but not impossible. Nothing was impossible, if you approached it correctly. It would just mean something of an attitude change. This was shaping up to be his toughest conquest yet.. but if done right it could also be his most rewarding and fun to date. He would have to bridge the family gap, undo the damage seven years of harsh comments and biting insults had caused to his reputation, convince her to help him, earn her trust, and then finally close the deal. All without certain people finding out, Demi especially. If his family thought he was chasing a Weasley.. no. It mustn't happen.

**_"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I'm flattered. Please, do tell me why. Are you going to bully me into doing your schoolwork? Or are you going to try and weasel blackmail material on my relatives out of me? Or, is it some other dark purpose that I couldn't even begin to comprehend?" _**

The smile flourished at her comeback, this was going to be fun. Damien gave her a grin of genuine amusement and leaned back onto one of the rough-hewn dungeon walls, folding his arms casually. "Oh no, far more sinister and devious that that. Something that will chill your soul with its pure evil." His tone spoke of light sarcasm. So far he had carefully kept his expression and voice neutral, now its was amused. Not mocking amusement, but almost a kind of friendly amusement. He forced the smile to falter slightly, to look uncertain. Damien swallowed. "I have a favour to ask you. And its not easy for me to do this, so please just hear me out. I'm failing Transfiguration. And its NEWTs this year.. and everyone knows you're just about as smart as they get..." he gave her a pained look, as though the words weren't coming easily. "What I wanted to ask was.. would you tutor me?" Malfoy finished it all off with an abashed look, an expression combining embarrassment with trepidation, and just a hint of hopeful optimism. _Now we'll see what she makes of that.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**"Oh no, far more sinister and devious that that. Something that will chill your soul with its pure evil."**

Anger flashed through her as she saw his ridiculous little smirk. His voice was friendly, to be sure, but Lucinda refused to believe it. He was laughing at her, sure as he was standing there looking at her. It was too awful to bear. Sure, she was holding her own, by her standards anyway, but it was obvious that he thought her to be right where he wanted her. _And where is that, I wonder?_

Where _was_ it? That was the question. Where was it that he wanted her? She was under his control neither mentally nor physically, and it was hard to tell what he was getting after. He obviously had a purpose. No Malfoy would talk to a Weasley without some malevolant purpose. _Well, I simply won't stand for it. He'll not make a fool of me!_

His area of expertise was clearly showing- manipulation. Lucinda had seen it at work many a day in the Great Hall and elsewhere. It had disgusted her, how no girl seemed able to resist the infamous Damien Malfoy. She'd almost died for the chance to be in their place, just so she'd be able to hex him and walk away without another thought. Surely they had more brains than _that_, Lucinda had thought as she'd watched the girls swoon. Surely they knew that he was merely using them. She doubted if he could ever really have a true, loving relationship. It simply wasn't done in the Malfoy family. Love meant nothing to them, absolutely nothing. Those girls just couldn't understand it.

Still, if Lucinda hadn't known better she would have guessed that Damien, as he stood there before her now, was some kind of mythological siren. It was that cursed debonair quality that all Malfoys seemed to possess, and that in itself was irresistible. Despite all she knew about the Malfoys and all of their horrible history, she found herself intrigued by Damien's presence. The way he stood, so confident, so...relaxed, almost, made her want to release the grip she'd taken so firmly on her composure. The trickery of his nearly pleasant voice made her feel like she was in friendly company, though clearly she wasn't and she knew it.

In any other situation she would have scowled, but she refused to let him know that he was getting to her. That was her one and only fault when it came to dealing with Malfoys- the Weasley temper and hatred for all things Slytherin. Had it been anyone else she would have hexed them by now...but this was Damien. He was her peer, her equal, and she refused to be seen as something lower. Thus, to retain her status, she would have to conquer him with her wits. Which, thanks to her mother, she had quite a lot of.

**"I have a favour to ask you. And its not easy for me to do this, so please just hear me out. I'm failing Transfiguration. And its NEWTs this year.. and everyone knows you're just about as smart as they get...What I wanted to ask was.. would you tutor me?"**

Lucinda nearly burst out laughing. It was so childish! Unbelievable...he was asking her to tutor him. It was a blatant lie, obviously, because Malfoys always got good grades. It was practically in their blood...it was the pride that did it. Any Malfoy that got less than perfect seemed to be considered rubbish by the entire family...a waste of time and money. There was obviously something more to it, and despite her best judgment, Lucinda wanted to know what.

"Tutor you? My dear Mr. Malfoy, if you believe what you say about me being oh so brilliant, then you know quite well that I'm far too intelligent to fall for something like that," she said, mimicking his position, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking at him. So she had a bit of a Slytherin streak; it didn't particularly matter, as long as she got out of this exchange on top.

"Failing Transfiguration, are you? Well, if that doesn't take the cake," she said, grinning. Feeling rather confident, she abandoned her leisurely pose and took a few steps forward, until she was less than a few inches from Damien. It sent a shiver down her spine to be that close to a Malfoy, especially this Malfoy, but all the better to get her point across.

"Mr. Malfoy, you know I can't resist an intellectual challenge, and tutoring you would be a challenge indeed," she said. "But, you also know that I've seen your awful behavior for seven years, and I don't intend to subject myself to that without good reasons. Your family and mine have been at each others' throats for as long as I can remember. Give me a reason as to why I should help you, if that is in fact what you need. Tell me what I'll get out of this, besides a great lecture from my father."

* * *

**_"Tutor you? My dear Mr. Malfoy, if you believe what you say about me being oh so brilliant, then you know quite well that I'm far too intelligent to fall for something like that"_**

_Crap._ This wasn't turning out the way Damien had hoped, not in the least. Of course he had taken all of... thirty seconds to plan this out, rather than the several hours normally set aside for learning what he could about a prospective female. It was all about finding that right angle after all. But for all his usual caution and meticulous preparations, the Slytherin had done none of that here. Rather than backing away and learning a little more about Lucinda Weasley he had instead come charging in here, like a bloody fool, merely relying on pure charm to get him through. And it might have worked, if she didn't know who he was, if she hadn't spent seven years watching him torment, trick and use every female in sight, if she wasn't part of a family brought up to despise him. _If she wasn't her, then._ The trouble was that Lucinda was perfectly placed to have the very worst possible opinion of him, and that was going to take a long time to overcome. No quick fun in the dungeons, this had become a _project_ now. Besides, the first thing was to make sure he got the second thing he needed. The other obstacle Damien had to overcome was her very personality. Given her reputation he had assumed she would be quiet, demure, shy, nervous and perhaps even a little awe-struck. With that in mind, the Slytherin had almost expected to be able to control the girl with ease, playing on her hopes and insecurities. Instead he got cool, calm confidence, sarcasm, wit and self assurance. She was quick, smart, sharp and not gullible. All in all, very attractive qualities (she had certainly gone up a few ranks in his estimation,) but with the drawback that simply turning on the usual charm wasn't going to cut it this time.

And then she made it even _more_ difficult by failing to believe him. The sole reason you put a grain of truth in every lie you could was that it was more believable that way. Damien had skipped even that, and told her the real, honest truth. And she assumed he was lying? The girl was a challenge, no doubt. But then it was expected that nothing he say be taken at face value, or even considered worthy of trust for a second. As of right now Lucinda Weasley didn't have one good reason to trust a word he said, let alone to help him with anything. Once the walls were down he would really be able to get to work, but as of right now her formidable barriers locked him firmly out. _Weakness, there's always a weakness._ If he could just get her to agree to tutor him, then he would have the time and oppertunity to find that weak spot, that crack in her defences. After that, well it got a lot easier. It was just getting that far that was going to prove so bloody impossible. She was doubtlessly his most audacious, complex and difficult challenge to date. It was almost worth asking why he was bothering.

But Malfoy already knew the answers to that, and there were many. Firstly, just to see if he could. What was the fun in preying on the small game all the time, now and then you just needed something to push you to the limits of your abilities. If he could crack Lucinda, Damien could crack anyone. The second reason was more obvious, he was failing a subject and that had to stop. Who better to tutor him than the school's brightest pupil? The third reason was all the more obvious again - you could tell just by looking at her. The Ravenclaw was of a height with Malfoy, tall and slim, with a light build. Long, white-blonde hair cascaded down over smooth, pale skin. The girl had a body to match her looks, it was a shame she never took advantage of that. And now she was standing a mere few inches from him the Slytherin took in the pretty hazel eyes, staring defiantly into his own. Beautiful, smart... she had everything he needed. Now he simply had to get to it.

**_"Mr. Malfoy, you know I can't resist an intellectual challange, and tutoring you would be a challange indeed. But, you also know that I've seen your awful behavior for seven years, and I don't intend to subject myself to that without good reasons. Your family and mine have been at each others' throats for as long as I can remember. Give me a reason as to why I should help you, if that is in fact what you need. Tell me what I'll get out of this, besides a great lecture from my father."_**

_Good question._ And one he'd been dreading, because Damien simply didn't have an answer. It was obvious now that she wouldn't be charmed into it, so he was going to have to make a concession here. He sighed mentally. What on earth would Weasley even _want?_ "As it happens" he said, looking a little disappointed but still not sounding anything but neutral, "I _am_ failing Transfiguration. I'll show you my grades if you like, but if I keep it up I'm not going to pass, McGonagall told me herself." _What would she want?_ A thought struck Malfoy, the way she had phrased something... _I don't intend to subject myself to that without good reasons..._ Maybe..

"As for why, well I'll offer whatever you like. Obviously I'll want to keep this quiet, but there must be something you want? Maybe..." Dramatic pause. "What if I promised not to subject you to my 'awful behaviour' ever again? Not just you, every Weasley in Hogwarts. And I'll make sure none of my friends trouble you again either. What about that?"


End file.
